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HR Management

Free online tools can test applicants’ computer skills

05/01/2007

To discover how fast and accurately applicants can type, sit them down to take a free typing test on www.typingtest.com …

Stay on top of your favorite blogs

05/01/2007

If you want to stay updated on good HR blogs (such as “Case in Point” at http://blog.theHRSpecialist.com), sign up with Squeet (www.squeet.com), a free service that delivers blogs to your e-mail inbox …

Workers’ comp trend: ‘BlackBerry thumb’ injuries

05/01/2007

Employment attorneys are warning of growing employer liability for so-called “BlackBerry thumb.” The repetitive-stress injuries to employees’ hands and thumbs result from overuse of personal digital assistants, or PDAs …

How to handle teleworkers’ home office tech needs

05/01/2007

Should your organization buy a computer, pay for Internet access and maintain the equipment that your teleworkers use in their home offices? The federal government recently authorized its agencies do all of that for their teleworkers. And that may be the smart play for your organization, too …

Security-Breach Notification Onus Falls on Michigan Employers

05/01/2007

Michigan employers will have a new set of responsibilities when the state’s new security-breach notification law takes effect on July 2. Under the law, owners and licensers of databases are required to notify Michigan residents whose personal information has been accessed by an unauthorized person. Failure to provide timely notice will subject employers to both fines and civil lawsuits …

8 ways to help employees cut their own health care costs

05/01/2007

Shifting some health care costs to employees can help control an organization’s ballooning expenses, but it doesn’t make employees healthier or reduce their need for services. Help your organization progress down the path toward employee engagement by using these eight tips …

Give documents to terminated employees?

05/01/2007

Q. Must I give employees copies of their reviews, terminations or disciplinary items? They are in their personnel files, but I don’t want them running to an attorney. We are not terminating or disciplining employees with any illegal intent, but these days you can never be too careful. –A.D.

Strong harassment policy plus training essential

05/01/2007

It’s been a few years since the U.S. Supreme Court laid down the law on sexual harassment…. Time breeds complacency, and too many organizations have let down their guard. The world’s best policy won’t do you any good collecting dust on a shelf …

Prepare to show solid business reasons for English-Only policies

05/01/2007

The EEOC has recently stepped up efforts to combat national-origin discrimination. Because the agency had concluded that speaking another primary language such as Spanish may disadvantage some employees, it’s pushing for a tight limit to when employers can enforce so-called English-only rules …

Compassion of ‘Donated Leave’ Comes With Caveats

05/01/2007

When a health crisis drains an employee’s regular allotment of paid time off, some companies allow other employees to donate their own leave to help out. Here are some suggestions for making it work, as well as a few caveats …